Why I Use Affirmations and Meditation (Even When I Didn’t Always Believe in Them)

Zoe Molnar
Feb 16
3 min read

Updated: Nov 9

Discover the science-backed power of meditation and affirmations. Learn how these simple practices reshape your brain, rewire beliefs, and support lasting change.

A grounded look at the science behind stillness, repetition, and inner change

Meditation and affirmations are often misunderstood. They are sometimes dismissed as “woo” or wishful thinking — yet the research tells a different story.

I did not find these practices through spirituality. I found them through yoga — almost by accident.

After surgery, I could not return to the high-intensity workouts I loved. My body needed something gentler. Yoga began as a way to move while I healed, but it slowly became something deeper.

Yoga introduced me to stillness. To repetition. To the quiet discipline of being with myself, breath by breath. It led me into mindfulness, meditation, and the intentional use of language — what we call affirmations.

At first, I used them without much thought. But curiosity pushed me to read more. And what I found was not just tradition — but science.

Why Science Agrees with Tradition

In traditional yoga, movement (asana), breathwork (pranayama), and meditation (dhyana) are all part of the same path — aligning body, mind, and awareness.

Modern neuroscience now shows how these tools change how we respond to stress, emotions, and identity shifts.

The Brain on Meditation

You do not need to “believe” in meditation for it to work.

Studies show it can:

Reduce stress and anxiety by calming the amygdala — the brain’s fear center
Improve focus and emotional balance by strengthening the prefrontal cortex–limbic connection
Increase gray matter density in areas linked to memory, empathy, and self-awareness (Hölzel et al., 2011; Tang et al., 2015)

This is why mindfulness-based practices are used in therapies for anxiety, trauma, chronic pain, and addiction. They do not erase difficulty — they build your capacity to stay with what is real without being overtaken by it.

The Psychology of Affirmations

The way you talk to yourself shapes how you move through the world. Affirmations are not about pretending — they are about intentionally shaping your inner conversation.

Self-affirmation theory (Steele, 1988) shows they help preserve a stable sense of self under stress.

Neuroscience has found that affirmations can:

Activate reward centers in the brain linked to motivation and self-processing (Cascio et al., 2016)
Reduce defensiveness in the face of feedback or challenge
Boost focus, performance, and emotional resilience (Creswell et al., 2005)

An affirmation like “I can meet change with curiosity and steadiness” is not just words. It is a neural cue — a way to signal safety, soften self-judgment, and invite action.

Coaching Insight

In my coaching practice, meditation and affirmations are not one-size-fits-all tools. They are invitations.

Meditation teaches presence, clarity, and choice.
Affirmations help rewire old beliefs, one phrase at a time.

They do not bypass pain. They create space for healing and growth, especially when the nervous system is in fight, flight, or freeze.

We do not use them for perfection. We use them to return — again and again — to something kinder and steadier than the inner critic.

Zoe’s Next Steps

One Breath

Close your eyes. Inhale slowly. Silently say, “I’m here.”

One Sentence You Want to Believe

Choose a kind sentence. Write it somewhere you will see daily.

One Quiet Cue

Link a short pause to something you already do — brushing your teeth, opening your laptop, or making coffee. Let that action remind you to take a breath.t.